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DEATH & THE MAIDEN

Schubert's late masterpiece provides the centrepiece for a searing programme that combines the best of Romanticism with the deep effect the atrocities of World War II had on composers of the time.

See below for a video of a live performance of the Schubert by the 12 ensemble in September 2018.

Stravinsky's perfectly formed miniatures sit alongside Janacek's emotionally explosive setting of Tolstoy's classic novella 'The Kreutzer Sonata'.

 

The programme ends with Bartok's brilliant 'Divertimento for Strings', which plays strongly on the composer's allusion to folk music in his writing.

KREUTZER SONATA

Debussy's boundary pushing, Gamalan-inspired string quartet took in strong influences from his travels, resulting in a completely original work that still dazzles audiences today. 

Vask's 'Viatore' (2013)  tells the story of a wanderer who arrives in this world, grows up in it, develops, falls in love, fills himself up and then departs, illuminated by the endless and starry universe.

THE WANDERER
THE AMERICAN DREAM

In a time where freedom of movement and immigration is under threat in the US, the 12 ensemble celebrates some of the greatest music that has resulted from European composers emigrating to the Land of the Free, alongside the acclaimed clarinet concerto from one of America's most famous musical sons.

Riot & Revolt brings together some of the most revolutionary and revelatory music to have ever been written. Music that still feels breathtakingly modern + unique centuries later, alongside music from one of today's most acclaimed and original composers, Thomas Adès. 

RIOT + REVOLT
REQUIEM

Love has long been the strongest motivator for artists and their work, and this programme sees some of history's most revered composers expressing their personal experiences of  love in its different forms. From Mendelssohn's heart-breaking grief over the death of his beloved sister to Mahler's love-letter to his future wife, this music is testament to the ultimate power, beauty and agony of love. 

STRING QUARTETS +

The 12 ensemble bring their exhilarating sound, energy and commitment to the greatest works ever written for string quartet
STRING QUARTETS + goes to the heart of what the 12 ensemble do and why we do it. In this bold new series of original arrangements, the group combines the commitment, communication, detail and spontaneity of string quartet playing with the breathtaking sound, energy and passion of the 12 ensemble.
 
Never compromising the composer's original intentions, the ensemble's uniquely democratic and dedicated approach to working together ensures performances that take the essence of string quartet playing and add a whole new range of colour, sound and emotive capabilities.
DEATH & THE MAIDEN

Schubert's late masterpiece provides the centrepiece for a searing programme that combines the best of Romanticism with the deep effect the atrocities of World War II had on composers of the time.

See below for a video of a live performance of the Schubert by the 12 ensemble in September 2018.

KREUTZER SONATA

Stravinsky's perfectly formed miniatures sit alongside Janacek's emotionally explosive setting of Tolstoy's classic novella 'The Kreutzer Sonata'.

 

The programme ends with Bartok's brilliant 'Divertimento for Strings', which plays strongly on the composer's allusion to folk music in his writing.

THE WANDERER

Debussy's boundary pushing, Gamalan-inspired string quartet took in strong influences from his travels, resulting in a completely original work that still dazzles audiences today. 

Vask's 'Viatore' (2013)  tells the story of a wanderer who arrives in this world, grows up in it, develops, falls in love, fills himself up and then departs, illuminated by the endless and starry universe.

THE AMERICAN DREAM

In a time where freedom of movement and immigration is under threat in the US, the 12 ensemble celebrates some of the greatest music that has resulted from European composers emigrating to the Land of the Free, alongside the acclaimed clarinet concerto from one of America's most famous musical sons.

REQUIEM

Love has long been the strongest motivator for artists and their work, and this programme sees some of history's most revered composers expressing their personal experiences of  love in its different forms. From Mendelssohn's heart-breaking grief over the death of his beloved sister to Mahler's love-letter to his future wife, this music is testament to the ultimate power, beauty and agony of love. 

RIOT + REVOLT

Riot & Revolt brings together some of the most revolutionary and revelatory music to have ever been written. Music that still feels breathtakingly modern + unique centuries later, alongside music from one of today's most acclaimed and original composers, Thomas Adès. 

string-quartets-+.gif

Schubert - Death & the Maiden

Highlights from a live performance at St George's, Bristol

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